What is turf burn?

"A related injury, "turf burn" . . . develops when an athlete, most commonly a football player, slides an exposed area of skin across artificial turf. Because artificial turf has a lower coefficient of friction than natural grass, especially when wet, the athlete slides a greater distance, thus generating heat and producing an injury that is part abrasion and part burn."Athletic skin injuriesRodney S. W. Basler, et alThe Physician and Sports Medicine - Vol 32 - No. 5 - May 2004permanent link

Soccer player Sydney Leroux's legs after a game on artificial turf. Leroux has been active in the quest to replace artificial turf with natural grass for the 2015 Women's World Cup.

High school girls reacting to a friend's turf burn

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2 to 3 turf burns per week

"On an average week, Rams players reported two to three “turf burns,” severe abrasions where the skin is rubbed raw by high-velocity contact with artificial turf."Field of Nightmares by Patricia Hart May 2006Texas Monthlypermanent link